Adjustable continuous casting mold

ABSTRACT

A plate mold for continuous casting machines in which transverse mold walls are carried on yokes which straddle the longitudinal walls and are slidably supported on a frame which surrounds the mold. The transverse walls may be shifted to various positions of adjustment by power operated means mounted on the side walls connected to the yokes. The transverse walls are hinged to the yokes and may be adjusted to any desired angle of inclination.

United States Patent 1 Burkhardt et al.

[ 1 3,710,845 1 Jan. 16, 1973 [54] ADJUSTABLE CONTINUOUS CASTING MOLD[75] Inventors: Max Burkhardt, Zurich; Armin Thalmann, Uster, both ofSwitzerland [73] Assignee: Concast AG, Zurich, Switzerland [22] Filed:March 24, 1971 [21] App1.No.: 127,593

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data March 25, 1970 Switzerland..4478/70 [52] US. Cl ..l64/273 [51] Int. Cl. ..B22d 11/06 [58] Field ofSearch ..164/82, 282, 283, 280, 395, 164/396, 83, 273 R, 273 M, 393,386, 377, 330, 328, 327;249/118,161, 162,167,170

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Strohschein 164/280 X2,345,493 3/1944 Mueller ..249/ l 70 3,228,071 1/1966 Schultz 1 64/2803,528,483 9/1970 Mallener 1 64/282 X 3,605,870 9/1971 Krallq. r 1 64/2833,075,264 l/1963 Wognum 164/83 3,421,572 l/l969 Rcihmanm, ..l64/28()3,2921 l 6 12/1966 Colombo l 64/281 Primary Examiner-J. SpencerOverholser Assistant Examiner-John S. Brown Attorney-Sandoe, Hopgood &Calimafde [5 7] ABSTRACT A plate mold for continuous casting machines inwhich transverse mold walls are carried on yokes which straddle thelongitudinal walls and are slidably supported on a frame which surroundsthe mold. The transverse walls may be shifted to various positions ofadjustment by power operated means mounted on the side walls connectedto the yokes. The transverse walls are hinged to the yokes and may beadjusted to any desired angle of inclination.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEBJMI 16 I975 3.710.845

SHEET 1 BF 3 INVENTORS MAX BURKHAROT ARMIN .THALMANN Armani-Y FIG. 4

INVENTORS MAX BURKHARDT A ARMIN THALMANN f I, 144 A fl AL ,uh/ 'r gATTORNEYS sum '3 OF 3 PATENTEUJAH 16 I975 ADJUSTABLE CONTINUOUS CASTINGMOLD The invention relates to adjustable plate molds for continuouscasting of slabs, and pertains particularly to machines comprising asupporting frame which supports longitudinal and transverse mold wallsthat are equipped with cooling means and form the mold cavity. In suchmachines, at least one longitudinal wall and one transverse wall isadjustable, and the longitudinal walls are adapted to clamp thetransverse walls between them.

In molds fitted with adjustable transverse. walls, adjusting means, suchas screw spindles or power cylinder units have been located on theoutside faces of the transverse walls. Since the magnitude of thedesired range of adjustability of the mold cavity determines the lengthof the adjusting means and the length of the mold, very long molds arerequired to accommodate wide ranges of adjustability. The length of themold in turn affects the size of the casting machine and the spacerequired on the casting platform. In the case of multiple strandcontinuous casting'machines the floor area required for the machine isnecessarily greatly enlarged by very long molds because intermoldspacing must be provided to accommodate them. As a result the ladleafter being filled with molten metal has to travel a relatively longdistance to reach the casting position. This is a known disadvantage.

Plate molds which can be adjusted in every direction are already known.Such molds comprise a supporting frame which supports the walls thatdefine the mold cavity. In such molds transverse walls which can begripped between the longitudinal walls may be adjusted in theirassembled state by screw spindles or power cylinder units. However, thisform of construction has the above-described drawbacks when the desiredranges of adjustability are large.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable platemold which can be quickly adjusted to provide a wide range oflongitudinal adjustability of the mold cavity within a minimum overalllength of the mold. This permits closer mold spacing in multiple strandcasting machines and hence a more compactly designed casting machine.

According to the present invention this object is achieved by attachingthe transverse mold walls to yokes which extend across the longitudinalwalls and rest on the supporting frame along which they may be moved.

With such a plate mold it is possible to provide an adjustability rangelengthwise of the mold cavity of from 900 mm to 1,600 mm in a moldhaving an overall length of only about 2,500 mm, as compared with anoverall length of about 3,500 mm for prior art molds of similarcapacity.

Adjustments can be made very quickly in such molds by providing meansfor shifting the transverse walls by shifting the yokes.

Inlet and outlet passages for coolant for the transverse walls may belocated in the yokes.

It is a further object of the invention to enable the transverse wallsto be adjusted to the desired angle of inclination with respect to thedirection of movement of the casting to allow for differences inshrinkage which occur when casting slabs of different widths.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means to prevent thetransverse walls that have been set to a desired angle of inclinationfrom being subsequently displaced during the operation of the machine.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means 'such that theclamping thrusts applied to the longitudinal mold wall for clamping thetransverse mold walls will always be aligned with the adjusted positionsof the transverse mold walls by the use of thrust-transmitting meanswhich are connected to the yokes. The provision of such means insuresthat the clamping force applied to the transverse walls will not createbending moments in the longitudinal walls. It also insures that the moldwalls will remain in proper alignment throughout their adjustabilityrange and that no gaps will open up at the butt joints between thetransverse and the longitudinal mold walls.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an adjustable plate mold;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line III III in FIG. 1 on an enlargedscale; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view, partly in section, of part of a modifiedmold.

Referring to the drawings, a frame 2 supports one fixed longitudinalmold wall 3 and one movable longitudinal mold wall 3'. Adjustabletransverse mold walls 4 are clamped between the longitudinal mold walls3,3 by the thrust of power cylinders 5 operating against wall 3'. Allthe walls 3,3 and 4 which define the mold cavity 6 are provided withsuitable passages for circulation of cooling means such as indicated at7. The transverse mold walls 4 are attached to yokcs 10 which extendacross and straddle the longitudinal mold walls 3,3 and rest on and aresupported by the two longitudinal members of the frame 2. The yokes 10are attached to sliding shoes 15' which fit into and move along T-shapedguideways 15 on the plates 11. The shoes 15' may be locked in anydesired position of adjustment by tightening the movable bolts 15 Meansfor the rapid and easy adjustment of the transverse walls 4 are mountedon the longitudinal sides of the supporting frame 2. Such means comprisea doubleacting power cylinder unit 12 whose two piston rods 13 arelinked to levers 14 which are mounted on pivots 20. The forked upperends 21 of these levers 14 engage bosses projecting from the ends of theyokes 10. When it is desired to adjust the length of the mold cavity 6,the longitudinal wall 3' is first withdrawn in the direction of thearrow 17 by the power cylinder units 5 to remove the clamping pressureon the transverse walls. Pressure on the power cylinder unit 12 admittedthrough pipes 18 then moves the yokes 10 toward each other, which inturn shifts the transverse walls 4 inwardly so that the length of themold cavity 6 is reduced. On the other hand, pressure admitted throughpipe 19 moves the yokes and transverse walls in the opposite directionand increases the length of the mold cavity.

If desired, the amplitude of the shift of the transverse walls 4 can belimited by stops (not shown) which may be mounted on the frame 2.

Coolant may be supplied to the yoke 10 by flexible tubes 22 fordistribution to the transverse walls 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, each yoke carries a holder 30 to which a transversemold wall 4 is exchangeably attached. Each transverse mold wall 4comprises a copper plate 31 facing the mold cavity and a backing plate32. Means are provided to facilitate rapid replacement of the transversemold wall whilst the remainder of the mold remains in casting position.For

this purpose a T-shaped slot 33 is formed in the backing plate 32 toreceive a sliding bar 34 carried by the transverse mold wall holder 30.A limit stop 35 on the holder 30 engages the bottom of the backing plate32 to support the wall 4. Means are also provided for locking thetransverse mold wall 4 to the holder 30. Such means comprise studs 40extending through the holder and attached to the sliding bar 34, andcompression springs 41. Means including a screw spindle 42 with bevelledshoulders 43 are provided to unlock the mold wall 4 for removal from theholder 30. When the screw spindle 42 is rotated to cause it to movedownwardly in axial direction, the bevelled shoulders 43 depress thestuds to further compress the springs 41 and move the sliding bar 34transversely in the T-shaped slot 33. Thereby the transverse mold wall 4is released and can be lifted out of the mold. A fresh transverse wallcan be inserted by performing the above described operations in reverseorder.

For adjusting the transverse mold walls 4 to a desired angle ofinclination, the transverse mold wallholders 30 are pivotally attachedto the yokes 10 by hinges 46. Compression springs 48 are disposedbetween structural members 47 which are rigidly attached to the yokesl0. and the transverse wall holders 30. These springs 48 tend to deflectthe transverse wall holders 30 towards the longitudinal casting axis andare still compressed when the maximum deflection is reached. In makingthe desired adjustments, the length of the mold cavity and the angle ofinclination of the transverse mold walls are determined by the insertionof a gauge into the mold cavity. The yokes 10 are then shifted towardseach other by the shifting means 12 and 14 until the transverse wallstouch the inserted gauge. The thrust of the springs 48 automaticallygives the transverse wall 4 the desired angle of inclination by pressingthe transverse walls against the gauge. The transverse walls 4 are thentightly clamped between the longitudinal walls 3 and 3'. In order toprovide increased support at the bottom of the transverse wall the screwspindle 42 carries a wedge 50 located between the holder 30 and thestructural member 47 which may be tightened by rotation of the spindle.The yoke 10 is then firmly tightened to the frame 2 by tightening thebolts 15'. The supporting forces for the transverse mold walls 4 arethus transferred to the frame 2. Finally the inserted gauge is removedfrom the mold cavity and casting with a changed cross section can start.

The support for the transverse wall 4 in the form of a wedge 50 may alsobe replaced by other means, such as eccentric disks mounted on the frame2.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4, the transverse wall4 and the clamping bar 60 are both connected to the yoke 10, theclamping bar being located on the outside of said longitudinal wall 3and aligned with the transverse wall 4. The curved face of the clampingbar 60 engages a transmitting beam 61 the ends of which are in contactwith studs 64 which are forced outwardly by compression springs 63 toapply clamping pressure to the longitudinal mold wall 3'. Thus, nomatter where the yoke 10 may be located in any position of adjustmentalong the beam 61 throughout the adjustability range 59, the clampingthrust will always be applied through the bar in a direction alignedwith the wall 4, thereby avoiding any application of force tending tobend wall 3.

The stems of the studs 64 extend into the hydraulic cylinders 62 andserve as piston rods connected to pistons (not shown) within thecylinders. Thus, the studs may be retracted by application of hydraulicpressure to the cylinders when it is desired to relieve the clampingthrust applied to the wall 3.

To adjust a mold cavity to a different width spacers 60 may beinterposed between the longitudinal mold wall 3' and the clamping bar60.

We claim as our invention:.

1. A plate mold for continuous. casting, comprising a supporting framecomprising longitudinal and transverse members which supportslongitudinal and transverse cooled walls defining the mold cavity, meansfor moving at least one of said longitudinal walls to clamp thetransverse walls therebetween, a yoke attached to each of saidtransverse walls, which said yokes are movable with respect to saidsupporting frame and extend across and straddle said longitudinal wallsand rest on and are slidably supported on the longitudinal members ofsaid supporting frame, and means for locking said yokes to said frame invarious positions of adjustment.

2. A plate mold as claimed in claim 1 including power operated meanscarried on said frame for shifting the position of said yokes on saidframe.

3. A plate mold as claimed in claim 2 in which said power operated meansincludes a pair of levers pivotally mounted on said frame, a doubleacting power cylinder, and a pair of piston rods connecting said powercylinder to each of said levers.

4. A plate mold as claimed in claim 1 including sliding shoes attachedto the ends of each of said yokes, and guideways on said frame adaptedto receive and guide said shoes.

5. A plate mold as claimed in claim 1 including a transverse wall holderhingedly connected to each of said yokes, and means for securing saidtransverse walls to said holders.

6. A plate mold as claimed in claim 5 including a structural memberattached to each of said yokes, and a compression spring interposedbetween each of said holders and each of said structural members adaptedto deflect said holders to a desired angle of inclination.

7. A plate mold as claimed in claim 6 including adjustable backing meansfor supporting said holders in deflected position.

8. A plate mold as claimed in claim 1 in which said means for moving atleast one of said longitudinal walls includes power cylinders and thrusttransmitting means interposed between said power cylinders and saidlongitudinal walls adapted to apply thrust to said walls at pointsaligned with the respective transverse walls to be clamped thereby.

9. A plate mold as claimed in claim 8 in which each of said thrusttransmitting means includes a clamping bar mounted on one of said yokesand aligned with the transverse wall carried thereby, a beam in slidingengagement with said clamping bar, and means for applying clampingthrust to both ends of said beam.

1. A plate mold for continuous casting, comprising a supporting framecomprising longitudinal and transverse members which supportslongitudinal and transverse cooled walls defining the mold cavity, meansfor moving at least one of said longitudinal walls to clamp thetransverse walls therebetween, a yoke attached to each of saidtransverse walls, which said yokes are movable with respect to saidsupporting frame and extend across and straddle said longitudinal wallsand rest on and are slidably supported on the longitudinal members ofsaid supporting frame, and means for locking said yokes to said frame invarious positions of adjustment.
 2. A plate mold as claimed in claim 1including power operated means carried on said frame for shifting theposition of said yokes on said frame.
 3. A plate mold as claimed inclaim 2 in which said power operated means includes a pair of leverspivotally mounted on said frame, a double acting power cylinder, and apair of piston rods connecting said power cylinder to each of saidlevers.
 4. A plate mold as claimed in claim 1 including sliding shoesattached to the ends of each of said yokes, and guideways on said frameadapted to receive and guide said shoes.
 5. A plate mold as claimed inclaim 1 including a transverse wall holder hingedly connected to each ofsaid yokes, and means for securing said transverse walls to saidholders.
 6. A plate mold as claimed in claim 5 including a structuralmember attached to each of said yokes, and a compression springinterposed between each of said holders and each of said structuralmembers adapted to deflect said holders to a desired angle ofinclination.
 7. A plate mold as claimed in claim 6 including adjustablebacking means for supporting said holders in deflected position.
 8. Aplate mold as claimed in claim 1 in which said means for moving at leastone of said longitudinal walls includes power cylinders and thrusttransmitting means interposed between said power cylinders and saidlongitudinal walls adapted to apply thrust to said walls at pointsaligned with the respective transverse walls to be clamped thereby.
 9. Aplate mold as claimed in claim 8 in which each of said thrusttransmitting means includes a clamping bar mounted on one of said yokesand aligned with the transverse wall carried thereby, a beam in slidingengagement with said clamping bar, and means for applying clampingthrust to both ends of said beam.